A symbol of public recognition, BAMBI is Germany’s most important media award honoring the most popular stars.

Because of his love for artistic challenges and his willingness to take a risk if a project requires it, actor, producer, and studio head Tom Cruise will receive the 2007 BAMBI Award for Courage.

Tom Cruise has become the world’s biggest and most successful movie star as a result of smart and brave artistic choices throughout his illustrious career. His uncompromising approach to his craft and unbridled passion for the projects he has chosen has enabled him to amass more than six billion dollars in worldwide box office receipts and be recognized for his artistic merits by earning six Golden Globe award nominations, three Golden Globe wins and three Academy Award nominations.

From the jury’s statement: "Tom Cruise, the greatest Hollywood star of our time, uses his passion and determination to make ambitious and courageous movies that would never have been made without him. With his new film "Valkyrie" about the Hitler assassination attempt initiated by Claus Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg, Cruise will introduce a story to international audiences that has never before been the topic of a major Hollywood production: The German resistance during the Third Reich."

Tom Cruise, born in New York State in 1962, was 18 when he starred in his first movie. This was the beginning of a career without precedent. Since then, Cruise has become the most popular movie star of the 1980s, 1990s and the first decade of the 21st century. His films—including " Risky Business", "Top Gun", "Born On The Fourth Of July", "Rain Man", "Jerry Maguire", "Magnolia", "Mission Impossible One, Two, and Three", "Minority Repor"”, "Collateral", "War Of The Worlds", "A Few Good Men", and "Lions For Lambs", represent, arguably, one of the most impressive bodies of work of any artist in Hollywood history.

background information:

A symbol of public recognition, BAMBI is Germany’s most important media award honoring the most popular stars. Presented by comedian Harald Schmidt, the 59th award ceremony takes place in Düsseldorf on November 29, 2007. At the Congress Center, the event’s host—publisher Dr. Hubert Burda—is going to welcome about 1,000 celebrity guests from the world of business, society, politics, media and entertainment. The BAMBI Gala is broadcast on national public TV from 08:15 p.m. on; it is produced by Werner Kimmig GmbH.

For further information, please contact:
Susanne Boemmel
Hubert Burda Media
Media Communication
Phone: 0049 - 89 - 9250 - 2575
Images for download: www.burda.de/bambi